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Learn English Through Football Podcast: 2020 Champions League Final Review: This week’s football-language podcast looks back at the Champions League final between PSG and Bayern Munich which took place on Sunday. We focus on some football language from that game to explain what happened. Listen to the podcast by clicking on the file below – you can also subscribe and listen to all our football-language podcasts – there are hundreds of them dating from way back in 2006! Improve your English by reading the transcript as you listen, or if you are a teacher of English you can use the transcript to make several listening and/or reading activities for your learners. If you have questions or comments then you can email us at: admin@languagecaster.com (Damon=DB).
Learn English Through Football Podcast: 2020 Champions League Final Review
Introduction
DB: You are listening to the Learn English through Football Podcast. Hello everyone, we hope you are all well, my name is Damon and welcome to another podcast for fans of football who wish to improve their English language skills. I am one half of the Languagecaster team, and we are spread across the globe with me in Tokyo and Damian in London. Today, it is just me, and I’ll be reviewing the Champions League final 2020 by focusing on some key football phrases. If you want to revisit the preview to the final that Damian posted, just come along to languagecaster.com and subscribe to our podcast or just download the show.
The Final Through Four Football Phrases
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in German)
DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster.com and that message was in German. Send us a message in your language too – just contact us here at admin@languagecaster.com. And please think about supporting what we do via patreon.com/languagecaster. We will have a language learning quiz based on today’s show on Patreon for our supporters there later in the week.
Right, let’s get started – the season finale, the climax to the 2019-2020 European season, the Champion League final took place on Sunday at the Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, in Portugal. And we should congratulate Bayern Munich, who Damian tipped to win 3-1, on becoming European champions with a 1-0 win. The final was a rarity, slightly unusual, as the two finalists – PSG and Bayer Munich were the champions of their respective leagues. This hadn’t happened since 1998, over 20 years ago! That time it was La Liga champions Real Madrid and Serie A champions Juventus. So congratulations again to Bayern for winning this unusual all-champions Champions League final!
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (Bayern Munich fan)
End-to-end
DB: OK, I said I was going to talk about some of the football language that can explain what happened in the game, and I’m going to start with ‘end-to-end‘. A lot of pundits were surprised at how open the first 30-40 minutes of the game were – open means that both teams were quite positive and attacking. The action moved from one end of the pitch to the other – it was an end-to-end game. While it was ‘open’ and ‘end-to-end‘ it wasn’t frantic, or helter-skelter, which would mean much more chaotic.
Floated Cross
DB: The momentum swung in Bayern’s favor in the second half in the 59th minute when Joshua swung in a floated cross to the far post for Comen to head home. The cross was hit delicately but with accuracy and stayed in the air a long time – this kind of cross is a floated cross. It was also pinpoint – very accurate – as it went over all the PSG defenders and was the perfect height for Coman to plant a header into the far corner. A planted header is a header deliberately placed, the player knows where they want the ball to go. So, Bayern were 1-0 up with 30 minutes to go.
Didn’t Take Their Chances
DB: PSG did have chances in this game, particularly in the first half. In the first 20 minutes Mbappe and Neymar both had shooting chances inside the box, with Neymar’s close range effort parried – stopped – by Neuer. And Mbappe was given a gilt-edged chance on 45 minutes but his shot was tame. A guilt-edged chance is a great chance, a golden chance, and a tame effort is a weak shot. In the second half, a lovely cut back from Di Maria for Marquinhos was missed – it was a half chance but a good chance in the six yard box. But PSG didn’t take their chances – they failed to use their opportunities.
High Defensive Line
DB: Ultimately, Bayern were much deserved winners and their high defensive line, with their defence pushing right up to the half way line, helped them control the game. This is the opposite of a low block, when a team sits back and has two lines of defenders in front of their own area. Along with the high defensive line, Bayern played a pressing game, which meant they quickly closed down any PSG player who had the ball. PSG could not build any pressure and relied on individual breaks from their stars to create chances, and as we have already talked about, PSG couldn’t take their chances.
So, a wonderful controlled win for Bayern, their sixth in this competition (and European Cup), They also won the treble, the domestic league, the domestic cup, and the Champions League, the European title. They were awesome in this competition.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Japanese).
Women’s Champions League
DB: Now, last week, we had a short podcast on the quarter finals of the women’s Champions League tournament, which, like the men’s competition was to be played in one off games with no spectators. The semi finals are now decided with favorites Lyon and Wolfsburg both going through. Wolfsburg thumping Glasgow 9-1 while Lyon saw off Bayern Munich 2-1 – revenge for their men’s team who lost against Bayern 3-0.
The semi finals are an all French affair with PSG versus Lyon while in the other semi it is Germany, Wolfsburg, versus last year’s runners up from Spain, Barcelona. This games will be played on the 25th and 26th. I’m going for a heavyweight final between Lyon, six titles, and Wolfsburg, four titles, with Lyon to win 2-1.
Visit Our Site
DB: What do you think the score in the Women’s Champion League will be? Come along to our site and put your predictions in. Or just say hello, participate in the polls, ask or answer some of the questions on our forums and just let us know what you think of the show. If you ike what we do and would like to help us keep the site and podcasts, think about supporting us via patron.com/languagecaster. All your support is warmly received.
Good Bye
DB: OK, thanks everybody for listening in to this shorter podcast about the Champions League final. Ta-ra!
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Free football language podcast for learners of English brought to you by Damian and Damon. Interviews, match reviews, predictions all with full language support for football fans around the world who wish to improve their English language skills.
